1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus. In particular, the invention relates to an image recording apparatus configured to input a photograph image, arrange the image on a print surface of a disk medium, and perform print recording.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, photograph image input apparatuses such as a digital camera and a color scanner and image output apparatuses such as a color printer have been widely spread and also achieved higher performances. Accordingly, various ways of using such an image recording apparatus have been proposed.
For example, a method of directly printing an image on a label surface of a circular disk media such as a compact disk and a DVD other than paper has been proposed for the image output apparatus.
In general, a conventional image recording apparatus is typically connected to a personal computer and configured to receive data from the personal computer for performing the printing. Such a conventional image recording apparatus may be provided with an image input unit configured to receive a photograph image directly from a digital camera and may have a function to perform printing of the photograph image directly received from the digital camera without the mediation of a personal computer. By combining such additional functions of the image recording apparatus, the image recording apparatus alone can directly receive the photograph image from the digital camera and print the image on the label surface of the disk medium.
In this manner, when an image recording apparatus can provide a variety of functions without the mediation of a personal computer, such an image recording apparatus may be designed to target a group of consumers who are not particularly familiar with personal computers. Thus, with regard to such an image recording apparatus, there is a demand to make image recording apparatuses commercially available which are easy to use even for users who are not particularly familiar with personal computers.
For operating the image recording apparatus alone, there are many cases where a display apparatus and an input apparatus mounted to the personal computer are not accommodated in the image recording apparatus, or the display apparatus and the input apparatus are inferior in performance to those of the apparatuses mounted to the personal computer. In this manner, when the image recording apparatus is operated in a restricted environment, it is desirable to simply realize such functions while requiring users to perform as few operations as possible. Also, if the image recording apparatus is designed to target a group of users who are not particularly familiar with personal computers, a devisal for obtaining a desired result with a simple operation is even more significant.
Incidentally, in a case where images or videos captured by a digital camera or a video camera are recorded on a disk medium, it may be desirable that a representative photograph image among the contents recorded on the disk medium is printed on a label surface of the disk medium.
A method of trimming an image read by using a scanner at an area equivalent of a print surface of a disk medium and printing the image is known (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-358714).
In addition, a method of laying out a plurality of images on a print surface of a disk medium and printing the images is also known (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-255760).
Although the print surface of the disk medium is circular, the photograph image generally has a shape of a horizontally long rectangular or a vertically long rectangular, and therefore it is necessary to determine which part of the photograph image is to be printed.
The simplest method is to cut out an image surrounded by a circle inscribed in a rectangular of the photograph image and set the position can be considered. In this case, there is a problem in that an area where the print cannot be performed exists at a center part of the disk medium and an object positioned at the center of the photograph image may be omitted.
On the other hand, there is also known a method of providing a printing apparatus with a display apparatus and an operation input apparatus, displaying a photograph image on the display apparatus, and allowing a user to set a circle at an arbitrary position with an arbitrary size. In this case, the user can arrange the image while considering on a position of the image including the area where the print cannot be performed at the center. However, there is a problem in that the operation is complicated and the display apparatus and the operation input apparatus need to be provided, which leads to the increase in costs of the printing apparatus.
In addition, there is a demand of writing a title or a description in accordance with the contents stored on the disk medium when the print is performed on the disk medium. However, if the selected photograph image is arranged on the entire print area, there is a problem in that no writing area for the title or the description exists. Of course, the title or the like can be written on the area where the photograph image has been printed, but there is a problem in that depending on a color of the photograph image, the texts on the printed image may be difficult to figure out.